The Steelers beat the Cowboys in two Super Bowls back in the 1970s, but it was Dallas that waltzed out of that decade with the title of "America's Team" after NFL Films' Bob Ryan coined the phrase for the Cowboys' 1978 highlight film.

Chalk it up as a somewhat silly subplot to a Sunday game that looms as no joke for the loser. The Steelers and Cowboys share 7-6 records and find themselves in a fight for their playoff lives. Both teams are flawed, inconsistent and overtly mortal -- possibly an appropriate time to pump the brakes on staking claim to nations and planets.